


Stars Above

by StayByMySide



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Bang Chan's laptop, Drabble, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, I Don't Even Know, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Inspiration came from Twitter, My First Fanfic, Romantic Fluff, Sorry if this has been done before?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:41:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25159420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StayByMySide/pseuds/StayByMySide
Summary: "One thing my mother encouraged me to do if I was struggling late at night with missing my family and couldn’t sleep was to look up at the stars. She reminded me that no matter how far away we are from each other we still share the same night sky, see the same stars, and that we’d always be connected knowing we’d find our way back to another some day."Or: Chan leaves his laptop at a coffee shop where you work and you employ Twitter to try and track him down but it almost backfires.I'm terrible at summaries I apologize!Also first time writing and no editor so please be nice!
Relationships: Bang Chan/Reader
Comments: 14
Kudos: 89





	1. A Tale of Spilled Tea

**Author's Note:**

> I truly have no idea how this came to be except that I blame Twitter Stays and their obsession with stealing Chan's laptop. This fic does take place during/shortly after God's Menu promotions (thus the hair colors mentioned). Also I wrote all of this in the span of like two days with little to no editing so I apologize for any/all misspellings and/or grammatical errors!

“I just don’t see the harm of going up to say hello to him...” Mia scoffs at you as you continue to steam milk while periodically glancing across the shop at the cute black-haired boy wearing large headphones who is currently too preoccupied with his laptop to notice you staring. 

“I can’t just stop working to go and say hello to every cute stranger who walks into the café” you whisper as you try your best to focus on your now messy latte art and see Mia rolls her eyes at you and your lack of subtlety. 

“I can cover for you for two minutes if you want to go and ask for his number” she replies while taking the drink from the counter to slide it down to the customer at the end of the bar. “Listen I appreciate it but I’m far too shy to just-” Suddenly the loud sound of a cell phone going off breaks through the quiet coffee shop music as you both whip your heads towards the noise. 

The previously mentioned cute boy sitting at the table is now frantically searching through his bag for said phone, shooting you both an apologetic look in the process at the intrusion of the quiet atmosphere. You look down suddenly from the brief eye contact and pretend to wipe down the almost spotless counter. 

The sound of whispered rapid-fire Korean/English can be heard as the cute boy quickly begins to pack up his things. You catch a few words such as “I’m sorry”, “took a break”, and “I’m fine” in between the flustered noises and sighs. As you’re about to turn around to start working on the next drink you hear a crash and a string of multilingual curses coming from the boy's mouth as he knocks the rest of his tea onto the table/floor in his attempt to pack up quickly. 

Mia almost shoves you towards him while handing you a wet rag with a sly smile on her face. You cautiously approach not wanting to spook him further. “Here, let me help'' you say as you bend down to start trying to soak up the spilled liquid. 

“I’m so sorry I can be such a klutz sometimes when I’m not paying attention” he sheepishly replies, and you almost melt at the sound of his voice and the thick Australian accent that accompanies it. 

“No worries at all, happens more often than you think” as you look up to offer a reassuring smile and your mouth falls open slightly at how even more handsome he is up close. He looks at you and returns a grateful smile as you snap back to reality with the sound of someone still talking furiously through his phone speaker. 

He holds the phone to his ear and covers the speaker to whisper “Thank you so much for the help I really appreciate it” with such genuine kindness you fear you almost forget how to breathe. You hear Mia cough to get your attention and see her holding a cup of what looks like the same tea the cute boy was drinking, her eyes telling you to come and grab it. 

You quickly make your way over to the bar and flash a grateful/embarrassed smile as you turn to walk back and see the cute boy already halfway out the door, phone still attached to his ear. “Wait!” you call out quickly rushing over as he pauses to turn to you. “Here’s a replacement for the road” you smile sheepishly while handing over the to-go cup. 

“Oh no, I can’t accept that, I only paid for one” he says embarrassed and still half listening to the phone call. “It’s no trouble at all, please, I insist” you reply as he takes the cup in his gloved hand. Your fingers brush briefly and even through the thick glove he’s wearing you feel almost a spark but brush it off as electricity from his bundled-up state. 

“That’s too kind of you, thank you so much-?” he pauses as if he meant to catch your name. “Y/N” you reply and see his smile grow even wider. “Thank you, Y/N, my name’s Chan...or Chris. Chris is my English name but most people just call me Chan.” 

You’re so lost in how his voice flows like honey that you realize you’re staring and quickly reply “Nice to meet you Chan, hope you’ll come back soon!” and cringe at how cutesy you sound. He just smiles wider and you love the way it reaches his eyes. 

“Likewise, hope you have a great rest of your day and sorry again for the mess!” You watch as he’s out the door and down the street, replying quickly in Korean to the person on the phone and you don’t turn around again until he’s out of your sight. Mia stands behind the counter with a smug look on her face as you make your way back and start on the next drink order. 

“You still didn’t get his number” she sing songs at you forcing you to roll your eyes at her shameless attempt at matchmaking. “Oh, shut up, would you?” you reply with no bite in your voice and a small smile on your face. “You could at least thank me for the push and remaking his drink...So, what’s his name?” she probes as she goes to refill the coffee beans. You stare out through the window as you replay the whole encounter in your brain. 

“Thank you I do appreciate you remaking his order to go and he said his name is Chan...or Chris?” She looks up at you puzzled “He has two names?” You walk over to help her lift the bag of heavy beans into the grinder “Yeah he said most people call him Chan but his English name is Chris” She shrugs and walks over to the register as the door chimes and another customer walks in. 

“Oh, looks like he left something” she calls to you as you set down the other half of the bag. Your head whips over to the table where he had been working and you see a black laptop bag propped up against the chair almost hidden from view. As you quickly make your way over the table and pick up the bag, you look outside, hoping maybe he would be returning for it. You notice that the bag itself is remarkably plain looking but there is a small beaded keychain attached to the handle with the letters “SKZ”. 

Returning to the bar you hide the bag in the back room for safekeeping just in case as Mia calls out “What was it?” You poke your head out from the back and reply “Looks like a laptop case of some kind, I’m sticking it back here for safekeeping in case he comes back for it...also going to take my 15 break” and slip to the back. 

There’s a part of you that knows it’s wrong to be nosy, but curiosity gets the better of you as you gently open the case and pull out one of the strangest looking MacBooks you’ve ever seen. The back of the screen has multiple attachments and wires running out of it, some have USBs plugged into them and one looks like a hard drive of sorts with the words “BANG CHAN” written on a piece of tape. 

You gingerly open up the Macbook and as it comes to life you see that it is locked and protected by a passcode. You sigh in defeat realizing you can’t go any farther in your harmless snooping when you notice the lock screen. It’s a picture of 8 boys all huddled together and holding a trophy of sorts, one you immediately recognize one of them as Chan, but the other 7 you’ve never seen before. They’re all wearing semi matching costumes of various color schemes and all of them are incredibly handsome each in their own way with different facial features. 

You seek out Chan’s face on instinct and immediately recognize how proud he looks, his arm strung around a particularly small boy with silvery white hair and cat like facial features. Another gorgeous long-haired blonde boy stands beside Chan but almost towers him in height and another crouches down in front whose features remind you of a puppy. Chan’s face is beaming with a smile so bright and beautiful and an expression that can only be described as a mix of pure joy and pride. 

You start to feel bad for staring too long as if you are intruding on a picture you weren’t meant to see. As you start to close the laptop, your fingers brush over the keyboard and immediately music begins to play. Startled, you quickly begin to fumble with the keys to try and figure out how to turn down the volume without being able to unlock it. Suddenly a honey sweet voice begins to sing along to the music, and you freeze in place. You’re almost certain that it’s Chan’s voice and while you can’t understand the Korean lyrics, the sound of his singing begins to bring you tears. 

Almost as if on cue, Mia’s head pops back from the front of the store, making you jump and immediately close the laptop and shutting off the sweet music. She narrows her eyes as she sees the laptop in your hands and the guilty expression on your face. “Were you just snooping in the cute guys laptop?” she asks slyly as she walks over to you. 

“NO, I was just...I was...I was trying to see if there was any information that might help us reconnect it with him” you stutter out realizing how pathetic of an excuse it sounds. “Mmmhmm” Mia replies as she grabs a sleeve of cups and starts walking back towards the front. 

She stops to look over your shoulder and calls out “Whatever helps you sleep better at night” with a wink and a squeal as you throw an apron at her retreating form. You draw your attention back to the laptop, your face now bright red from being caught. 

A small piece of paper poking up from inside the laptop case pocket catches your eye. You reach down to grab it and open it up to see a lost and found message with a cell phone number attached to it. Grabbing your phone from inside your apron pocket you quickly dial the number but hesitate before pressing call.

A million different questions race inside your head: _What are you so afraid of? What if he doesn’t pick up? What if he thinks you stole it? Would he know you opened it?_

Eventually after what feels like an embarrassingly long amount of time with your finger hovering over the screen, you hit dial and immediately put the phone up to your ear. The ringing feels like it goes on forever but in reality it’s only a few moments before an animated voice answers “I’m sorry the number you are trying to reach is no longer in service, please hang up and try again.”

You sit there both dumbstruck and feeling defeated when Mia’s head pops back in “Your 15 is almost up, any luck with finding out how to reach him?” and quickly frowns at the sad look on your face.

“No, I just tried dialing the number that was left inside the case, but it’s been disconnected” you reply sadly and carefully slide the laptop back and gently zip up the case back up. Mia offers you an apologetic smile, “Well maybe there’s a chance he’ll come back or call in about it...or you could do what some people do and ask Twitter for help” she jokes before her attention is taken by a customer at the bar.

You put the case back in the manager's office for safekeeping and come out from the back room. “Twitter? Are you serious?” you ask as you wash your hands at the sink and prepare to jump back into your shift. “Yes I’m serious, people post stuff on there all the time when they're looking for missing friends/relatives or if someone found a lost wallet and are trying to help reconnect it with its owner” she replies. You hadn’t considered it as a possibility and there's chance that this cute boy doesn’t have a Twitter account but with little other options available you begin to hatch a plan. 


	2. A Tweet A Day Keeps the K-pop Stans At Bay (Or Not)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for everyone who left kudos/comment on my first chapter! I was super nervous to share this (I'm not a creative writer) since it's my first time posting. I'll try and post more chapters weekly but having a full time job makes it hard to find time to write/edit. Enjoy!

The café closed early today and once your shift is over, both you and Mia finish cleaning up, mopping the floors (paying extra special attention to the spilled tea area) and get everything set up for the opening shift tomorrow. 

You sit down in the backroom and pull out the laptop case. A part of you doubts this will work out well since A.) You don’t have a large Twitter following and B.) There’s a one in a million chance this guy is going to see said tweet. However, you figure there’s no hurt in trying and hopefully someone will take pity on you attempting to do a good deed and help spread the word. 

Once you're done taking pictures of the laptop (paying special attention to showcase the words BANG CHAN written outside on tape), the black case, and keychain, you open your Twitter app. You had debated taking a picture of the lock screen as well but felt it was too personal of a picture to display on the internet and you wanted to respect the privacy of all those who were in it. Plus if you do post it you can’t have plausible deniability for opening it. 

You craft a nicely worded tweet with enough information to let the Twitter-verse know you were looking for a guy named Chan who had left his laptop at a café and that you had tried reaching the lost and found number, but it had been disconnected. You add on a few keyword hashtags and ask Mia to look over your handiwork. She reads through the tweet for a moment before looking back up at you 

“Why don’t you add the letters SKZ as a hashtag? Maybe it’s like a club or cult or something” she says slyly as she hands your phone back. You audibly scoff at her and roll your eyes as you add the new hashtag while firing back “I sincerely doubt this guy is a part of any cult.” She raises her eyebrows at you and smirks 

“You never know Y/N, many seemingly charismatic and cute guys can end up being into some weird stuff.” You chuck a dry towel at her as she laughs and quickly post the tweet after proof-reading it one more time. 

Mia helps you finish closing the store and you both begin your separate walks home while loudly promising to text her of any updates as she crosses the street towards the subway entrance. You hop on your own bus and quietly curse as you realize your phone battery is about to die having not charged it during your break like you usually do. 

As you stare out the window at the passing scenery you begin to replay the encounter with Chan in your head again wondering who he was speaking to on the phone and why he had to leave so quickly. Although you would never admit it to Mia you internally chide yourself for not being brave enough to ask for his number before he left or asked Mia to write it on his to go cup for you. 

You grudgingly walk up the stairs to your apartment, hands deep in your pocket while you search for your jingling keys. As you enter your small studio apartment and flip on the lamp by your door, you drag your feet and realize just how exhausted you feel after a long day of work. Out of habit you go to check your phone and realize it died sometime between after you got off the bus and making it to your apartment. Too tired to make anything to eat you grab a banana and settle down on top of your bed while plugging in your phone and turning on the T.V. to a rerun of Friends. Soon enough your eyes start to slip shut and you fall into a blissful sleep. 

The next morning you are rudely awoken by a pounding at your door and sleepily drag yourself to see who it is while cursing under your breath at not being able to sleep in on your day off. Before you can even open the door fully Mia storms past you talking so fast your half-awake brain can’t comprehend what she’s saying except for the tail end of “-CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!” 

You match her wide eyes with a blank stare and sleepily ask “Come again?” She looks widely around your apartment without answering before yelling out “Where is your phone?!” You point towards your bedroom “It’s still plugged in, I forgot to charge it during my break yesterday and it died while I was on the bus ride home” 

Mia grabs your hand and all but drags you to the bedroom in search of your phone. She picks it up and her eyes go wide as she realizes you have yet to check it since waking up and tosses it to you. As you catch it you see the screen light up and your eyes go wide at the amount of notifications from the Twitter app. You try to open the app and it all but slows down to a crawl as you realize your tweet about the lost laptop had completely blown up. You look up to Mia to see her staring at you in shock as well. 

“WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!” you yell at the phone and all but chuck it at your bed like it’s a hot potato. Mia watches as you pace back and forth in front of her your chest beginning to heave up and down as you feel the panic set in. She grabs you by the shoulders and forcibly sits you down on the bed to stop you from moving. 

“Hey....Hey Y/N Look at me!” she grabs your chin and forces you to meet her sharp hazel eyes. “Everything is going to be alright; I can summarize what went down if that will help you stop freaking out” you nod weakly at her, too scared to pick your phone back up. 

She sits down beside you and takes a deep breath “At some point after you went to bed last night, your tweet managed to find its way over to the K-pop side of Twitter from your hashtags and people recognized the pictures of the laptop. Apparently, it belongs to a K-pop star named Bang Chan who is a part of a famous group named Stray Kids.” You look at her in disbelief not quite able to process what she was saying with what was actually happening.

“K-pop? Stray Kids? Are you serious?” you say as you stare at the floor. Mia is practically bouncing up and down with excitement “Don’t you see what this means? You met an actual celebrity with millions of followers, and he flirted with you!” At this you roll your eyes at her “He was not flirting with me he was just grateful I helped him clean up his mess and gave him free tea.” Mia won’t be persuaded though as she you can feel the excitement bubbling from within. 

“Y/N, think about it, you have a chance to meet him again when you return the laptop and maybe something will lead to another and he’ll fall in love with you!” she says as she flops down on the bed and sighs dreamily. You can’t help but laugh and roll your eyes at her hopeless romanticism. 

“Mia this isn’t some silly romm comm. If this guy is as famous as you say he is, I seriously doubt that I’ll get anywhere close to him again and they’ll probably send a bodyguard or a manager to retrieve the laptop.” At mention of the laptop Mia quickly sits up from the bed “Speaking of said device, did you bring it home with you? I stopped by the café this morning, but it wasn’t in the manager’s office” she asks with one eyebrow raised. 

You look over to where you had left your backpack the night before, vaguely remembering putting the case in your bag before you left. You pull it out as Mia gasps at you “Y/N, I knew you had a rebellious streak, but I didn’t know you’d stoop so low as thievery!” pretending to clutch a pearl necklace in mock indignation. You blush furiously as you try to remember why your tired self-had decided to bring it home last night. 

“I....I just thought it would be safer with me?” you stutter out as you refuse to meet her stare. “Mmhmm, and what makes it safer with you than inside a locked office?” You can’t answer and instead are saved by the bell of your phone going off and see your manager is calling. Mia looks just as confused as you are but hands you the phone as you worry something might have happened. 

“Hello?” 

“Y/N, I’ve been trying to reach you for hours where have you been!?” “Uhm...asleep? I just woke up a little bit ago. Today’s my day off remember?” 

“Yes, I know it’s your day off I’m not calling you to work, I’m calling you because I’ve had at least 50 calls to the café in the last hour asking for you and about some laptop now what the hell is going on?!” 

You’re stunned into silence and can only stare at Mia in shock as she snatches the phone from your hand. 

“Hello? Peter? Yes, this is Mia. Y/N is in a little bit of shock at the moment from all this, but we’re going to fix this. Yes, I understand. Um, well, long story short a guy came to the café yesterday who we didn’t know was famous and he spilled his tea everywhere when he was packing up to leave quickly and accidentally left his laptop there. So, Y/N posted on Twitter to see if someone could help track him down to give it back and the tweet blew up because he’s a part of a famous K-pop boy group named Stray Kids” she takes a deep breath after speaking so quickly. 

You hold your hand out to take the phone back and put it up to your ear. “Peter? Yes, this is Y/N, I’m so sorry for the hassle this has caused you and the café. The laptop? Um....it’s with me and Mia. Why? Ugh we thought it would be safer with us for the time being since it seemed to be really valuable” you stare at Mia as she looks at you with an expression that can only be described as “comical” at your lame excuse. 

You hear Peter ramble on about how this could be good publicity for the café but that it’s jamming up the phone lines for customers who actually need to call in and order something. You apologize again profusely and promise to make it right by returning the laptop as soon as you can get ahold of Chan. 

When you finally hang up with Peter you glance at your notifications and see an endless sea of blue and white from the app. Hesitantly you decide to try and open it and read the replies. Most are fairly common of “OMG THAT’S CHAN’S LAPTOP! '' with the Stray Kids official twitter account tagged multiple times. Some of them are memes and others seem to make jokes about stealing the laptop for themselves. 

The amount of likes/retweets the tweet has gotten steals the breath from your lungs and your heart skips a beat when you see how many DM’s there are. “Holy shit” you exclaim as you open the inbox and start to scroll through the hundreds of messages. Mia looks over your shoulder as you read one particular message promising you a very large sum of money to hand the laptop over and/or post some of the unreleased music hiding inside of it. There are even screenshots of bank statements with promises of thousands in cold hard cash if you will sell the laptop to them. 

“Why is everyone so obsessed with getting their hands on this laptop? Don’t they want it to go back to its rightful owner?” you ask as you see the requests/demands get more outrageous and fervent. Mia chuckles “These fans, I think they’re called Stays, are absolutely nuts! I did some research before coming over, apparently Bang Chan...or Chan, writes and produces almost all of Stray Kids music along with some other members of the group so fans really want to get their hands on this thing to try and hear his unreleased tracks.” 

You stare at the wall for a moment while Mia takes over scrolling through the DM’s and laughs at the chaotic energy the fans possess. She goes quiet for a moment and puts her hand on your shoulder. “You know Y/N, if you DID decide to sell this laptop to the highest bidder, you’d be set for LIFE!” she exclaims but you quickly brush her hand away and grab your phone. 

“Are you kidding me Mia?! This laptop isn’t mine to sell, it’s not my property and I have to give it back!” She rolls her eyes at you and flops back down on the bed. “I know, I know you gotta do the right thing, take the moral high ground, blah blah blah” she says as her head shoots back up “I’m just asking you to consider ALL the possibilities before you make your final decision.” 

You don’t answer as you continuously scroll down the DM list until one particular message amongst the mass draws your attention. It’s from the Stray Kids twitter account and you gasp to see the official check mark beside the name. This causes Mia to quickly sit up and ask you what’s wrong before you shush her so you can concentrate on the message. It reads: 

Hello Y/N,  
This is Chan...from the coffee shop yesterday...Um I think you have something that belongs to me? I totally didn’t realize I had left it behind when my manager came and picked me up. I noticed it was gone once we got back to the hotel we’re staying at and drove straight back, but the cafe was closed. I was going to try and go back first thing today when we were alerted to the tweet you put out last night. Sorry about the whole phone number issue, I recently had to get a new number and forgot to update that lost and found card. Are you free at all today to meet up for an exchange? And by exchange, I mean my laptop for buying you some food/coffee as a thank you for cleaning up my mess and keeping it safe for me?  
Thanks again!  
Chan 

You stare at the message in shock and vaguely realize Mia is squealing and doing a little happy dance all around you. “Oh my god how is this happening to me?” you ask dumbly staring at the screen and trying to convince yourself it’s real. 

“You don’t question when the universe sends you a sign...no wait this is more than a sign this is a whole ass destiny for you to meet and fall in love!” she says as she jumps onto your bed again. 

“This can’t be real...I must be dreaming” you say as you look up to her in disbelief. “Well I can pinch you if you’d like but I promise you’re not dreaming; you are living the perfect rom com story!” she says as you instinctively cross your arms over your chest. You’ve known Mia for 5 years now and you know she never backs down from a challenge (like trying to set you up with Chan yesterday) or a promise/threat. 

“No, thank you! I just don’t even know where to begin or how to respond” you say though you are rudely interrupted by your stomach growling making you remember that you haven’t eaten yet this morning. Mia laughs and gets up smoothly from the bed coming over to offer a comforting hand on your shoulder. 

“How about we start with you taking a shower, I’ll make you some breakfast, and then we can sit down and think about some possible responses to make him fall even more in love with you” she says a little too sweetly. You poke her in her side right at the ticklish spot you know so well getting an immediate jump and a squeal followed by fits of laughter from you both. Maybe a nice hot shower and some food would help calm your nerves, the butterflies in your stomach, and allow you to think straight. However, hard as you try you can't seem to silence the part of you that questions whether you ever want this feeling to go away.


	3. Spotify Playlists and Pancakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update/short chapter everyone I just found out recently that my full time job is letting me go in two weeks because of the rise in coronavirus cases. I'm not surprised but heartbroken all the same as I really enjoyed working there and those colleagues became like a second family. Wish me luck as I hunt for new jobs!

You watch as Mia skips off to start on breakfast and head to the bathroom to take a shower. As you wait for the shower to heat up, you open up Spotify on your phone and do a quick search for “Stray Kids.” 

There’s a ton of songs/mini albums to choose from and after scrolling for too long you give up and pick the most recent/popular songs. You tell yourself that you're simply curious about the group and listening to their music is for...scientific purposes...only. 

The first song that plays starts with a harsh bass and almost trap sound before jumping straight into a spit fire rap. Usually you don’t listen to a ton of rap music but you enjoy the addictive quality this song has with its catchy pre-chorus and a rhythm that makes you want to bop along. 

You spend a good 30 minutes in the shower focused on the music as it shuffles from one song to the next. You aren’t an expert on music production by any means but there’s something within each song that speaks to you without you even knowing the words. There is also an underlying current of sound that is so unique yet is present throughout each track and quickly attribute this to Chan’s excellent producing. 

Thinking of Chan immediately brings you crashing down to reality as you realize you still have no idea how to respond to his message. Just the fact that he reached out personally instead of a manager or bodyguard as you had previously assumed makes your heartbeat speed up, which you attribute to the hot water coursing down your skin. 

Knowing what you know now about Chan and his celebrity status, the pieces of yesterday’s encounter start to fall into place. You can deduce that he came to the café to hide away and work on his music in a quiet environment and that he probably told no one where he was going or how long he’d be gone (thus the angry phone call). There’s also a good chance the person on the other end of that phone call was either his manager scolding him for going out alone or one of his members, or both. You can’t blame the guy for wanting some time to himself, given the fact that if he’s constantly surrounded by his members (the 7 other boys on the lock screen), and 8 boys living together probably gets very chaotic. 

After finishing your shower, you dress quickly and head out to the kitchen/living area of your studio to see Mia making pancakes and also listening to Stray Kids music while she works. You quietly come up behind her since she can’t hear you with how loud the music is playing, and quickly grab her waist making her jump/squeal and almost chuck the pancake across the kitchen. 

“Y/N don’t scare me like that! I almost hit you in the head with this skillet!” she says swatting at you as you laugh, and transfers more pancakes to the stack beside her. You grab two plates for the both of you and divide up the pancakes digging in quickly while your stomach growls again in frustration. 

“Mmmm this is delicious! I don’t know what I’d do without you” you say with a mouth full of food and blow a kiss her way. “Ew chew your food first and don’t talk with your mouth open...also you’re welcome” she laughs but manages to “catch” said kiss and put it in her pocket. You scarf down the pancakes a lot quicker than you thought making you realize just how hungry you were. 

Since you finish eating your stack of pancakes before Mia, you offer to make her some coffee which she graciously accepts. You don’t have any of the fancy espresso machines like at work, but you can make a mean French press at home. 

As you get the hot water boiling you feel Mia’s eyes on you in a calculating way that makes you want to squirm in your skin. You don’t enjoy being the center of attention, usually you’re just glad to sit back and observe unless you need to help/take care of someone else. 

After a few moments you turn to her “What? I can feel your eyes burning holes in the back of my head” as you take the kettle off the stove when it begins to scream. “I’m just thinking” she says not so innocently, and you can tell there’s more to that answer than meets the eye. 

“Mmmhmm. You can’t fool me Mia I know that look when I see it, you’re scheming and I don’t like it” you say as you start to pour the hot water into the French press. “I was just thinking of the best response to Chan’s message, you want to make it coy but not too aloof, cute but not overbearing, interesting enough that he wants to come back for more” she says as she takes another bite of pancake. 

“More? What more is there I’m just returning his laptop to him and that’s it, maybe I get a bite to eat or a coffee out of it but I doubt it’s going to be anything incredibly deep he just wants to show his gratitude” you reply as you slowly stir the water around. 

Mia laughs loudly like you’ve just told the funniest joke and you stare at her like she’s grown too heads. “What is so funny?” you ask while stealing a bite from her plate and she smacks your hand away. 

“You’ve literally just described a date....” you go to say something, but she cuts you off “-a casual one at that but if he’s paying for you it’s still technically a date.” You roll your eyes at her “You know both guys and girls can pay for each other now it is the 21st century.” 

Mia’s face is too stuffed with pancakes to rattle off a retort, but she shakes her head at you regardless. Deep down you won’t admit it to Mia; but the thought of going on a date with Chan thrills you, and not because of his celebrity status (you could care less about that), but because of the way he made you feel at the café. 

It was the spark when your hands brushed together, the bright smile he gave you that could outshine the sun, and the way his voice said your name slowly and sweet like taking a spoon out of a jar full of honey. 

You open the Twitter app to Chan’s message ignoring the 50 new ones that have popped up since earlier asking how much the laptop is worth to sell. You hover over the keyboard willing some sort of divine inspiration to type something for you. Nothing takes over your fingers, but you figure it’s best just to be yourself and hope you don’t come across as too weird. 

Hello, 

So glad to have found you! 😊 I’m not going to lie, I was completely shocked when my tweet blew up last night, I didn’t find out about it until this morning when I woke up. 😮 An exchange? I don’t know, I’ve got a lot of fans in my DM’s willing to pay top dollar for this baby...I’m kidding! 😂 I promise I would never think of selling your laptop, unless you want to split the profits 50/50 (again I kid!). Would love to meet up, my schedule is pretty much open since today’s my day off. Phone number is *** - *** - **** just shoot me a quick text (Twitter DM’s are getting kinda hard to keep track of). 

Let me know what works for you! 😊 

Y/N 

You show the message to Mia for her to look over and she laughs/pouts about not being able to collect the large bounty that Twitter Stays have created for the acquisition of Chan’s laptop but is impressed that you’re giving him your number. You press send and immediately close out of the app too nervous to see if it’s been read yet. 

Originally your day off plans had been a mix of cleaning and laying around in your bed watching Netflix all day but you decide this is much better. After finishing your coffee, Mia asks if she can use your shower since her landlord has been slow to fix her hot water. As you clean up the array of dirty dishes, your phone dings and you see a message from an unknown number. 

Unknown Number:  
Hey, it’s Chan 😊 Sorry about the fans blowing up your DM’s like that, it’s a running joke in the fandom that they all plan to try and steal my laptop at some point to try and hear unreleased music (I can’t blame them! 😅). I hope everyone is being respectful though and isn’t causing you too much hassle. I also understand the temptation but please don’t sell my MacBook, she is my pride and joy and I have so much music saved on that hard drive it would take YEARS to try and replicate what’s lost 😭 But you do drive a hard bargain! How about I up my previous offer to dinner AND desert (crazy I know 😉)? How about 7pm tonight? I can come pick you up or meet you somewhere? I’m not super familiar with the restaurants in this area so let me know if there’s someplace really good! 😋 

You stare at your phone with one of the biggest shit eating grins and don’t even notice when Mia comes up behind you and reads the message until her dripping wet hair brushes your neck and you almost jump out of your skin. 

“HA! Payback for earlier with the pancakes! Also, he texted your number? Oh, my goodness look at all those emojis...is that a winky-” she’s cut off when you turn away suddenly preoccupied with checking the fridge to hide your ever-growing blush. You make a mental note of needing to go grocery shopping later when you hear Mia gasp and pop your head up above the fridge door. 

“What? What’s wrong?” you ask while grabbing some water from the fridge. “Well now that it’s a real date, what will you wear?!” she asks dramatically as you sigh and toss/almost chuck a bottle of water at her. Mia is undeterred and all but drags you to your dresser/tiny closet to look at clothing options. 

“Really Mia it isn’t that big of a deal what I wear, and I still don’t think it’s a real date” you say as you watch her rummage through the few nice pieces of clothing that you own. You realize you haven’t texted back yet as you open your phone and quickly read the message one more time trying not to hyper focus on the wink emoji. 

You:  
7pm sounds great to me! If you’re not obliged to picking me up that would be great as I don’t have a car 😅 It’s all good, my manager at the café said some fans have been particularly insistent on calling in to ask about you and the laptop, to be honest I don’t even know how they found my place of employment from one tweet 😮 You drive a hard-counter bargain sir, so I guess I must not sell her and collect the large bounty from the Stays 😂 Mmm good places to eat? There’s quite a few bougie bistros near the coffee shop but they’re usually fairly crowded on the weekends. If you’re looking for some genuine American cuisine there’s a cute little dinner right on the outskirt of the city not too far of a drive that I would recommend! Really great burgers, fries, milkshakes, they even have some delicious pies (very American 😂). Address for the GPS is 2017 Yellowwood Ave Apt 8 let me know if you have any trouble with it and looking forward to tonight! 😊 

After you hit send you notice that since you sat down on your bed, Mia has multiple outfits laid out around you in varying degrees of layers and colors. “What do you think? Personally, my favorite is this little number” she points to a slinky little black dress with thigh high black boots. 

“Absolutely not! This is a casual dinner not going out clubbing” you scoff as you make your way around the bed to view different choices. Mia clucks her tongue “I’m just saying if you showed up to a first date with me wearing THAT, I wouldn’t be able to keep my eyes or hands off you.” 

You roll your eyes at her but end up picking up a semi casual dark blue dress with small spots scattered throughout the fabric that almost look like stars. The neckline is low enough to show off a little but not dangerously low that you might flash someone if you lean too far over your food while eating. You pair it with your favorite pair of earrings, a brown belt, and some cute boots. 

Since you have a couple hours before said “date” Mia convinces you to go out and get your nails done together and you can’t say no to her when she acts cute and pulls the “we never spend time together outside of work” card. You’re pretty sure she was supposed to be working this afternoon but was able to charm her way into switching for another later shift so she could assist you. 

You’re usually not one to spend money on pampering yourself like this, instead opting for simple mani/pedis at home in front of the TV while watching Netflix, but it feels nice to be taken care of and to just relax. You and Mia grab a light lunch (don’t want to fill up too much before dinner) and you head home to get ready. 

Mia insists on styling your hair convinced it will be a total disaster if you do it yourself. As she gets the tools ready you quickly remember to plug in Chan’s MacBook so it won’t be dead when you give it back to him. 

You also secretly hope you can convince him to play you that song you heard when you first opened the laptop yesterday. Earlier while Mia was in the shower, you had secretly opened it again but no song had played even when you lightly tapped the keyboard. Now as you sit quietly while Mia styles your hair and hums the tune to one of the Stray Kids songs she was listening to earlier, you start to feel more and more nervous. 

Am I doing too much? Not enough? What if we have nothing in common? What if I say something corny and he thinks I’m a total weirdo? You’re drawn out of your thoughts by snapping which is Mia trying to bring you back to the present. 

“Hey, Hello? Earth to Y/N? Come back to the land of the living please and get out of your head. Also tell me what you think of your hair” she says as she fluffs it up. You glance at the mirror in front of you and marvel at how she’s such a genius when it comes to styling. Not that you don’t style your own hair you just rather keep things simple and easy most of the time. 

Mia has created a beautiful half up half down style with soft curls resting on your shoulders and lovely braids wrapping around to the back of your head. You can tell she’s anxious for your answer, but you do love it and she beams at you when you whisper as such. 

She offers to do your makeup as well, but you’d rather do it yourself (not that you don’t trust her) to keep it light and simple and not too dark or flashy. As you finish getting ready to do a quick spin around and showing off the finished look to Mia who must leave to go and cover the shift. 

You hug goodbye with the promise to actually text her this time with updates on how it goes and not let your phone die. Now with a mere 15 minutes left before Chan arrives you try to busy your hands and your mind so as not to fidget with your dress/hair and ruin all the hard work Mia did. You’ve just finished throwing a load in your washer to run while you’re gone when your phone dings and your heart stops. 

Chan:  
Here 😊


	4. Invasions of Privacy and American Pie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thank you for the love on the first three chapters! Things have been kinda crazy while I try to figure out what my next steps are employment wise after next week. Did anyone catch the couple of small SKZ easter eggs in the last chapter? Specifically a certain coffee shop manager's name and the apartment address/number? ;) Also there's a small personal detail near the end of this chapter that isn't as ambiguous for a Y/N story but it's an important plot device for the next (and final chapter) I promise!

You double, no triple check, that you have everything before heading out the door to see a black tinted SUV waiting outside your apartment. There’s a man you don’t recognize waiting by the back passenger door but he offers you a sweet smile and waves you over as you make your way down the stairs. 

You can see your own look of confusion reflected back in the mirrored tint of the window but it all melts away when he opens the door and you see the sweet smiling face of Chan staring back at you. 

“Hey Y/N! It’s good to see you! Ready to go?” he asks and you suddenly realize just how much you missed hearing his voice. You quickly climb in the car with the help of the older gentlemen lending you a hand 

“All set! This is a nice ride, did you rent it yourself?” you ask as you fidget with the seatbelt. Chan chuckles sweetly “Not my rental, no, my manager-hyung took care of it for tonight” he says pointing to the gentlemen now driving you both. 

There’s a brief moment of silence before Chan glances over at you “You look really beautiful this evening” but quickly glances down when your eyes meet his.

“Thank you, you clean up nicely yourself especially when you’re not covered in hot tea” and immediately chide yourself for making fun of him so quickly. However Chan just laughs, a big and hearty laugh that you can’t help but join in on when you realize he’s not offended by your joke. 

“You make a fair point, my manager-hyung can attest to my consistent klutzy behavior” he says while rubbing the back of his neck subconsciously. “Well it was no problem at all for Mia to make you another one and I hope you were able to properly enjoy the drink the second time around” you say quietly while fidgeting with your dress. 

“Mia? Was that the name of the girl who was working with you?” he asks while glancing out the window at the passing cityscape. “Yeah, she’s my best friend. We’ve known each other for about 5 years. She’s also the one who first noticed your laptop was left behind” and at the mention of said laptop Chan whips his head towards you and the bag currently at your feet. Seeing he doesn’t want to be rude but is blatantly staring at it, you gingerly pick up the bag and hand it over. The relief on his face is instantaneous and the tension rolls off his shoulders as soon as his hands grab hold of it. 

“Thank you so much for returning her back to me! I've been such a wreck since I realized I had left her behind” he says as he clutches the case to his chest almost for dear life. 

“No worries, I’m glad I decided to bring it home with me instead of leaving it at the shop especially with so many people calling in about it” you say as you notice Chan’s smile immediately drop at the mention of the phone calls. 

“What's wrong? Did I say something-” you ask worried at how you may have upset him. “No, no, no it’s not you at all it’s just those sasaeng fans that worry me” and takes in your confused expression with a sad sigh. “Sasaengs are fans who are often obsessive and will stalk idols and try to find out personal information to be able to reach or get closer to them but often it’s more of an invasion of privacy” he says his eyes now downcast. 

“Oh. So you think that some of these sasaeng fans may have found out where I work and were calling the cafe to try and get their hands on the laptop and get closer to you?” you ask not realizing earlier how terrifying that might be. “Yes, there’s no way for sure to know if all of those calls were sasaeng fans but I wouldn't be surprised if some of them even show up to the cafe at some point and ask about me in person” he replies with a large sigh. 

“I’m so sorry that must be incredibly frustrating and tiring to have to deal with that all the time” you say trying to offer some condolence. He offers you a sweet smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes and you can tell he doesn’t want to go into further detail. 

“Well the good news is that the laptop is now safe and sound back where she belongs so you can keep making amazing music and keep your fans on their toes about all those unreleased tracks” this brings a real smile back to Chan’s face and you realize deep down that you never want to be the cause of his sadness ever again. 

The ride to the diner is fairly pleasant, thankfully with no traffic to get stuck in. There’s a lot of back and forth questions mostly about both of your jobs, where you’re both from, etc. You are not surprised to learn Chan is originally from Australia (Sydney to be specific) as he jokes with you about his accent but that he moved to Korea to pursue a career in music and become a K-pop trainee. 

This opens up a barrage of questions from you about trainee life and the process of how Chan was able to hand pick his groupmates and form Stray Kids through a reality TV show. You feel sad to learn that two members almost didn’t join Stray Kids after they were eliminated (thankfully brought back) including one boy named Felix who Chan mentioned was also Australian and seemed to share a particular fondness for. He also briefly touches upon a former member who had left the group late last year but you don't press him on it seeing that it's clearly a sensitive subject. 

Once you make it to the diner the conversation flows easily as you both order different burgers, two sets of fries, and different flavored milkshakes (Chocolate and Strawberry). Chan seems especially interested in asking you questions about your life, your family, where you went to school, and your dreams/ambitions. A part of you feels foolish talking about such things with someone who is of similar age has already achieved so much. However, you remember that Chan (and all celebrities) are human just like everyone else and there’s something about him that makes opening up just so easy. 

When the topic comes around to music and Chan not so subtly asks if you’ve listened to any Stray Kids music before you blurt out “Well no I hadn’t heard of you group before this morning when everything blew up but I did check out quite a few of your songs on spotify while in the shower.” You immediately turn bright red and want to bury your head in the half eaten basket of fries in front of you before you hear Chan’s beautiful laugh and see how brightly he’s smiling at you. 

You start to stutter out an apology for how weird it sounds but he cuts you off “No, no, no, I promise it’s not weird I have a whole Spotify playlist SPECIFICALLY dedicated for music to listen to in the shower and I’m honored that you chose to listen to us” he says as you pick up a handful of fries and all but shove them in your face to try and hide the still creeping blush. 

“Just out of curiosity since you’re a new listener….what did you think?” he asks before taking a big bite out of his burger. You look up to see him staring intently and awaiting your reaction “I really enjoyed it! I don’t have a lot to compare it to since I hadn’t really explored the K-Pop genre before today but the beats were really fun to dance along to, the raps and vocals mixed together really well, and there’s something unique about each song that you can tell it was really thought out well and created with a lot of love” you reply as you see him slowly swallow his bite of food. 

“You’re not just saying all those things because you’re sitting across from the guy that produced those songs are you?” he asks with a slight raise of his brow. “No! I’m being 100% serious and you can ask Mia! She'll tell you I said the exact same thing when I heard she was listening to your music too while making breakfast” you say with a bright smile. Now you see its Chan’s turn to blush as he takes a sip of his milkshake and smiles at the genuine complement. 

You’re not sure if it's the sugar from the milkshake giving you some form of liquid courage but you get up the guts to say “I do have one confession to make though and a question to ask.” You have his full attention immediately as he sets his burger down and motions for you to continue. 

“Well…I don’t know how to word this without apologizing in some way...but when I first found your laptop at the cafe...I opened it” Chan’s eyes widen and he’s about to speak but your words keep rushing out “I’m so sorry I know it was wrong especially now with what we talked about in the car with the invasion of privacy but I promise I wasn’t snooping I was hoping to find some way of reaching out to you.” The words rushed out so fast you’re not sure if he’s caught everything until you finally have the courage to look up from staring at your plate to see him chuckling at you from across the booth. 

“Well? Did you make it past the password encryption?” he asks with a smirk and you breathe a sigh of relief and laugh that he’s not mad. “No I didn’t try to use any passwords but I did notice your lock screen of you and your other members….also there was music?” This grabs his attention even more as he furrows his brow in confusion. 

“Music? What kind of music? I don’t have any music that plays from my lock screen” you take a deep breath as you consider your words. “I don’t know how to properly describe it besides that it was an acoustic of sorts, soft and melodic with a guitar strumming and someone singing, though I didn’t understand the words” you glance up and see him staring off trying to put the puzzle pieces together before you see a lightbulb go off. 

“Oh! I know what it was you heard! Before I left the cafe I was working on a new song” he casts his eyes down and says shyly “It’s a birthday gift….for my mom.” You smile at the warmth in his voice at the way he says “mom” and he turns to the side to fiddle with his laptop case. 

“Well I only heard a few moments of it before Mia interrupted me while I was on my break but it sounded beautiful” you see him start to pull out his laptop, some headphones, and a pair of earphones that he quickly begins plugging into. He quickly glances up catching your look of confusion and asks “Would you like to hear the rest of it? Her birthday is coming up soon and I want the song to be perfect. I’ve had a few of my members listen to it while I’ve been working on it but it would be nice to have…” he stops not quite sure what to say next. 

“An outside perspective?” you ask hoping that’s what he means. He nods his head eagerly and begins setting up while you help clear some dishes aside to make room for the MacBook. He hands you the noise cancelling headphones which cause a bit of a shock at how easily all the other noise from the diner fades away. Chan gives you a thumbs up to ask if it’s okay and you nod briefly admiring at his concentrated stare as he types away at the laptop. 

Almost immediately you hear the familiar melody flood your senses as the guitar begins to play and you hold onto the headphones as if to make sure no other noise will get through. A few moments later you hear Chan’s soothing voice and you risk a glance up to see him staring at you intently looking for any sign of a reaction. You offer a gentle smile and look down again to concentrate on the sad but sweet emotion that you hear from his voice even if you can’t understand the lyrics. 

You don’t even notice the tears that start to form in your eyes until a napkin is placed in front of you and you spy an apologetic glance from Chan. Halfway through the song you notice Chan’s voice is no longer coming through and all you hear is the simple melody finishing out the tune as if the song is not completed. You take off the headphones and have to wait a moment to let your ears process the flood of outside noise that comes rushing back.

“So...what do you think?” he asks cautiously as he takes the headphones back from you. “It’s even more beautiful and sad than I remember...but in the best way possible” you assure him as he smiles and then looks at his laptop. 

“Thank you, it’s not finished yet as I’m sure you heard there’s a few lyrics that I’m struggling to write” he sighs and you can tell he’s been working on this project for awhile. “Well unfortunately I can’t understand Korean and I don’t know anything about lyric writing but maybe if you translate for me I can try and help you brainstorm?” you ask and his face immediately lights up. 

“Would you really? Okay give just a moment” he replies and turns to his computer to type away at a speed you’ve never witnessed before. You finish up your burger as you wait for him to finish translating and turn your attention to the laptop screen as he shows it to you. 

As you begin to read the rough translation of the lyrics you notice a theme of missing one's family even when they’re half away across the globe, time spent apart, a love that’s as deep as the ocean, and a reminder that you’ll always be there for you no matter what. You can sympathize with the lyrics as your own family lives on the other side of the country and you don’t get to see them very often except for the occasional short vacation or holiday. 

You think long and hard for a few moments before considering your answer “Why don’t you mention something about stars and the night sky?” you ask as you look up to see his confused but curious facial expression. You decide to take it a step further “When I first left my family 6 years ago to move here I was terrified of being so far away from them in a brand new city that I’d never experienced before. There was also the difference in time zones which made it feel like connecting with them would be almost impossible and I was worried at how lonely I would feel. One thing my mother encouraged me to do if I was struggling late at night with missing my family and couldn’t sleep was to look up at the stars. She reminded me that no matter how far away we are from each other we still share the same night sky, see the same stars, and that we’d always be connected knowing we’d find our way back to another some day.” 

You feel your heart has sped up at sharing this deeply personal detail with someone you just recently met. Hell, you haven't ever shared this with Mia and she’s your best friend. Your nervousness slips away though as soon as you find the courage to look up and see Chan staring and smiling at you as if you’re the only person in the world that matters. Your brain is screaming at you to look away in embarrassment but you can’t help but feel like there’s a string connecting you two together in this moment and suddenly nothing else truly matters. 

His reply is so low and soft you have to almost strain your ears to hear him “That was incredibly vulnerable and beautiful. Thank you for sharing it with me.” Now you do look away with an embarrassed smile and a blush slowly creeping up your face. You fiddle with the straw wrapper on the table and try to brush it off. 

“It’s no big deal, everyone misses their family at some point right?” You almost jump out of your seat when you feel a large warm hand encompass yours and your eyes dart up to meet Chan’s warm gaze. “It’s alright to miss your family and I think it’s amazing that you’re able to find a way to connect with them in such a meaningful way.” You can’t tear your eyes away from him even when his hands leave yours too soon to go back to typing on his laptop. 

Your brain is running a million miles a minute at the sudden loss of contact but you’re finally able to squeak out “Thank you. I hope that was helpful in some way but I’m sure she’ll love the song no matter what direction you take it.” Chan looks like he’s about to say more but is interrupted by the waiter stopping by to ask how everything is going and if you’d like to order any dessert. You both settle on a piece of pie to share, assuring Chan that this is one of the most American things he can eat while stateside. 

“When do you go back to Korea?” you reluctantly ask while nitpicking at the fries still left in your basket. “Tomorrow actually, we were just in town for 2 days for a few schedules and we got lucky with having a day off today when our original flight home got cancelled and had to be rescheduled.” You quickly attempt to hide your sadness at the thought of him leaving so soon before asking “So out of all the places to work on your music, why did you choose our cafe?” 

He places his laptop back in the case before answering. “To be honest it was entirely random. Rooming together with the guys back at the hotel can be a bit chaotic at times, the noise level was insane, and I didn’t feel like I could be productive at all. So I packed up my equipment, bought a quick subway pass, and hopped on. I picked a random stop to get off and looked up on google where the closest coffee shop was and happened to stumble into yours.” 

You can't help but smile at how much the whole thing sounds like fate. “So when your phone went off was that one of your bandmates wondering where you’d went?” This causes Chan to smile sheepishly as he rubs the back of his neck.

“Yeah one of my members accidentally ratted me out to my manager who was frantically searching for me and then called to come and pick me up. He understands my need for peace and quiet when I’m working since I don’t have access to my studio but he still worries for my safety.” You nod in understanding about to say more but are interrupted by the appearance of the waiter bringing the ordered slice of pie. 

As you dig in you can tell Chan really enjoys the taste of the pie even trying to say as much even with his mouth full which makes you giggle. In between bites he asks if you have any plans for the upcoming holidays. “No, not really, I might try and go home for Chrimstas if I have enough money saved up. My birthday is in November so Mia and I might go out and do something special for that but it falls on a holiday this year so most places will probably be closed” you say with a shrug and take a large bite of the pie. 

“Oh really, when’s your birthday?” he asks innocently and you don’t notice him pull out his cell phone beneath the booth table and start typing. “November 22nd. Usually it’s very low key but some years it falls right on Thanksgiving so it can get overshadowed by the food and festivities. But hey, at least there’s usually some good pie available!” you both laugh as you take another bite.

“Oh yeah I get that. Two of our members were born literally a day apart but we try to make sure to still celebrate them individually.” You smile at the warm sentiment “As expected of the world’s best K-pop leader” which he audibly scoffs at but you can see on his face and from his pink ears that he appreciates the compliment.

“I can tell you care a lot for them. Speaking of your members, do you have pictures so I can put names to faces?” you ask already picturing the mix of faces on his lockscreen. As if reading your mind Chan smiles and pulls up pictures from his phone while listing off the members by order of age. You realize Felix (the other Australian member) is the smaller silver haired boy you noticed next to Chan on the lock screen. The taller blonde headed boy who had towered next on the opposite side of him is Hyunjin and the puppy-like boy you remembered is Seungmin. 

You try your best to remember all 7 of the members names and faces attributed to them but know you’ll have to do more research later on after Chan explained their hair colors change rather frequently. The waiter pops back over with the check and a promise to take your time and enjoy the rest of your evening. You’re about to suggest going Dutch when Chan whips out his card and the bill is whisked away before you can blink. 

“I was going to suggest we spl-” but Chan holds up his hand “No, no, no I insist on treating tonight since you graciously returned my laptop, you drove a hard bargain remember?” You hold up your hands in defeat but deep down you can't help but feel all warm and fuzzy at the feeling of being taken care. 

After the waiter returns with Chan’s card and you both stand up to leave, he surprises you by offering his arm to walk you out to the car. 

“Ever the gentleman I see?” you tease as you see his embarrassed smile. “Well of course I do have a reputation to uphold” he replies and you both laugh and his attempt of a posh accent. He steps up to the back passenger side and opens the door with a flourish and a bow that makes you both break out into a fit of giggles. As you both get in you notice Chan is sitting much closer to you than the drive before and you relish in the warmth of having him next to you. As the car begin to drive away, you snap a quick picture of the outside of the diner with your phone, not wanting to ever forget this beautiful night.


	5. The Best Birthday Present Ever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the final chapter *cue The Final Countdown music* But seriously guys thank you so much for anyone who left comments/kudos or even who just took a chance on reading a fic from a first time writer and made it all the way through! There are a lot of personal touches in this story; not only from my own experience moving across the country by myself, but also the birthday that sometimes gets swept up with Thanksgiving. Thank you for bearing with me with any grammatical errors while I also still trying to figure out what my writing style is. Also super excited if the rumors are true and Stray Kids have a comeback/repackage album coming out soon (my wallet not so much). Hope you enjoy!

The drive back is fairly quiet with the gentle hum of the car radio and the glow of the street lights as you pass under them. You hear Chan humming quiet harmonies to the songs as he looks out the window towards the looming cityscape. 

It;s not until your eyes start dropping that you realize how tired you feel from all of today’s excitement but there’s an even larger part of you that truly never wants the night to end. The cold A.C. makes you involuntarily shiver and Chan is quick to take off his jacket and wrap it around your shoulders. 

There’s a comfortable silence shared between the two of you, enjoying the steady presence of each other and you replaying the memory of Chan’s song. As you cross over a bridge, you’re quickly brought back to reality at the warmth of Chan gently holding your hand next to you. You give his hand a gentle squeeze and even feel brave enough to slowly lay your head on his shoulder as you feel more at peace now than you have in a long time and try not to fall asleep. 

Too soon the car stops in front of your apartment and Chan let’s go of your hand to hop out and walk around to open the car door for you. You don’t question it as he offers his arm again and walks you up the stairs to your apartment door. There’s a brief moment of silence not awkward but ethereal as if time has stopped and one false move will bring it all crumbling down. 

You know it’s a huge risk but you've always heard fortune favors the bold so you ask “Would you like to come in for a drink?” You see the question in his eyes, the indecision behind his dark gaze and you know the answer already by the way he deeply sighs and takes your hands in his. 

“I would love to but I do need to get back to my hotel to check on the kids and finish packing for our early morning flight....I’m sorry.” You can’t help but sadly smile at the fond term for the other members but nod in understanding. 

“It’s alright, I understand. Well thank you for a wonderful evening, the delicious food, and lovely company. I hope we can meet again if you ever find yourself back in the states.” He rubs the back of your hands with his thumbs in a silent apology for the night now being over .

“And thank you again for returning my laptop, gracing me with your beautiful presence for the evening, and giving me such great feedback on my song. I really do appreciate it. Also if you ever find yourself visiting Korea let me know, I’d love to have the chance to show you how delicious Korean food can be.” He smiles down at you and you know you only have precious seconds left before his manager will come to collect him. 

In a moment of courage that looking back on, you’re not quite sure where it came from, you reach up ever so slowly (almost standing on your tippy toes to reach) and plant the lightest kiss right on the corner of his mouth where his dimple is. You sink back down and stare at your shoes, feeling yourself blush and not quite comprehending what came over you to do that. If fortune truly favors the bold you feel like you might have won the lottery as you feel a hand under your chin and slowly lift your face up to meet his. Even though it’s late at night and the lighting outside your apartment is awful you swear you can see stars twinkling in his deep brown eyes and the gentlest smile on his face. 

Time slows down to a crawl as you barely process him leaning down to gently kiss you. He tastes like sunshine with a little bit of cherry pie and you can swear you’ve never had a kiss feel quite like this in your whole life. The spark you felt yesterday has increased tenfold as it travels from your lips all the way down to your toes. You’re sure he must have felt it too when you break away and you see him staring down at you with a slightly shocked expression and his mouth agape. 

It looks as though he's about to say something before a sharp whistle startles you both out of the almost dream-like state you’d just been in and you see Chan’s manager waving up to him. He looks back to you apologetically but you open up your arms and immediately find yourself picked up in what can only be described as the warmest bear-like hug you’ve ever had as he swings you around. All too soon you’re set back down in front of your door and you feel the heavy weight in your chest. 

As he turns to leave, your hand snakes out and quickly catches him on the wrist “You won’t forget me, will you?” You can feel a part of you cringe at how sappy you must sound but in this moment you couldn't bring yourself to care. You feel tears begin to prick the corners of your eyes but Chan quickly takes your hand in his “Forget you? Never in a million years” and you smile at how his accent drew out the word never. He kisses the back of your hand, catching your eye once more, and you watch as he slowly heads towards the car. 

You quickly realize you’re still wearing his jacket and start to take it off while yelling out “Wait! Chan! Your jacket!” Chan stops just before getting in and looks back up at you. There’s a mischievous smile you see on his lips before he yells back “Keep it! To remember me by!” You smile and feel tears gently start to fall before you dramatically blow him a kiss goodbye. Both of you laugh as he “grabs” said kiss, tucking it into his shirt pocket and waving up at you before the door is shut and he’s lost from sight. Even through the darkly tinted windows you can still feel his eyes on you as his manager starts to drive away. You feel a strange sense of deja vu from the cafe as the car leaves your line of sight and you make your way into your dark apartment. You check your phone to see a few missed messages from Mia asking for updates and settle on a simple text of “It was amazing. About to pass out. Will tell you more tomorrow ❤️”. As you start to get ready for bed you hear your phone ping and pick it up expecting it to be Mia responding with more questions but a different name lights up the screen and your heart skips a beat. 

Chan❤️:  
I’m truly sorry I couldn’t stay longer and spend more time with you. It’s probably a moment I’ll come to regret but I hope you know how much I truly enjoyed your company this evening and meeting you (even under the craziest of circumstances) has been the highlight of my trip to the states. Also I’m going to send you a link to a messaging app I use since it will be hard to text international numbers once I’m back in Korea. Hope you have a good rest of your night and sweet dreams 😊

The phone dings again with a link to join said messaging app and you make a mental note to make an account the first thing in the morning. 

You:  
I completely understand, duty calls and you wouldn’t be the best K-pop leader ever if you didn’t take care of your kids! I also had an absolutely wonderful evening as well and I don’t know what force led you to our little cafe (call it fate or what you will) but I am eternally grateful that it allowed me the chance to not only meet you but also listen to your amazing music. I’ll be following Stray Kids more closely and supporting you all from across the sea. Sleep well and I’m sure we’ll chat again soon 😊

As you set your phone down to charge and get ready for bed, you can’t help but replay the entire night in your head, but especially the last few moments. You have to pinch yourself briefly to know that the kiss you just experienced was in fact real and not just some fever dream you had imagined in your head. After changing into your P.J.s, you flop down dramatically onto your bed both ecstatic at how well the evening went and sad to know Chan was leaving the next day and that you might not see him again. You grab hold of Chan's jacket bringing it up your face as you smile and realize it smells just like him. You take a final look at the sweet message he sent and feel a fierce determination to try and keep in touch even though you know it will be difficult with time zones and busy schedules. As your eyes slowly begin to slip shut you look out your window at the few stars you can make out amidst the light pollution from the city and thank whatever lucky star is out there for being able to meet and get to know such a wonderful human being as Chan. 

A few months later:

The cafe is always slower around the holidays. People come in and out periodically to grab drinks to go while they do their shopping but for the most part it’s fairly empty and quiet but you don’t mind. You hum along to the tune of the newest title track for Stray Kids comeback that just dropped recently and it’s been on repeat ever you got your hands on it. You won’t tell Mia this but during their promotional period you would stay up late to watch their live performances on music shows and did your best to vote for them on different apps so they could try and win. You haven’t talked much with Chan recently, a few texts here and there from the messaging app mostly just catching up with each other or wishing him a happy birthday in October but you know he’s been busy with promotions and a hectic schedule. After you help close the cafe, you slip on Chan's jacket and head home you check your phone to see a few “Happy Early Birthday” texts from friends that bring a smile to your face. You make a note to FaceTime with your family tomorrow afternoon for Thanksgiving and know they’ll want to sing happy birthday to you. You wrap the jacket tighter around as the wind picks up, thankful for the deep pockets and warmth it brings against the November chill. The smell of Chan has almost faded from your constant wear of it (which Mia often jokes you about) but you swear if you can still smell the faintest bit of him in the fabric. You’re so engrossed in your phone that you almost forget to check your mail when you see a small package peeking out from your mailbox. There’s no return address on it and the postage looks unfamiliar. As you head inside and kick off your shoes, you hear the TV playing and see Mia asleep on your bed remembering that she was coming over while you were working to spend time with you for your birthday. You walk into the kitchen to see a birthday balloon, wine bottles, and take out sitting on the counter. A part of you smiles at how lucky you are to have such a wonderful friend who wants to spend her holiday with you to celebrate. As you open the package and shake out of the contents, you notice it’s a birthday card and a small flash drive. Written on the flashdrive in sharpie it says “FOR Y/N’S EYES ONLY” which puzzles you. You open up the card which says:

Dear Y/N,

I hope this card reaches you before the 22nd. If it does, Happy Birthday! If it doesn’t….well Happy Belated Birthday! I’m sorry I haven’t been doing a great job of staying in contact, between preparing for the new album to come out, 2 full weeks of promotions and schedules, AND celebrating some of the boys birthdays I feel like I’ve barely had a moment to myself. But I wanted to send you a little something for your birthday since I remembered it fell on a major holiday this year and I didn’t want you to feel like it wasn’t just as important. This flash drive is incredibly special and completely TOP SECRET. I’ve never sent anything like this before via mail so I hope you will keep it safe with the utmost secrecy and never show it to anyone (Mia’s an exception) or let it get into the wrong hands. You might recognize part of it when you listen but I assure you that it is 100% just for you Chan original. All that to say, I hope you have a wonderful birthday, eat lots of cake (or pie!), and I’ll be sure to talk to you soon!

Love,  
Chan 

P.S. There’s talks with our company about a potential Stray Kids U.S tour coming up and your city might be one of the stops (fingers crossed)!

You don’t even register the tears rolling down your face until one splashes on your hand as you’re holding the card. You didn’t think he’d remembered when you mentioned your birthday at the diner so many months ago and even more so that he’d send you a gift. That chance meeting feels both so long ago and yet you remember it like it was yesterday. You quietly open up your laptop, ignoring the tab open where you were researching cheap flights to Korea, and plug in the USB to see the file pop up. Remembering that Mia is asleep you grab your pair of headphones to plug in and press play. The melody that begins to flow through does sound familiar but the guitar chords sound less melancholic almost more like a sound of want/longing. Within moments a beautiful voice you miss and know so well comes in (singing in English) and the tears flow freely once again. The lyrics are incredibly poetic even as they talk about your fateful meeting in the coffee shop and laughing at a “slice of life” reference to talking for hours and eating pie. You also hear that distinct sound that you know can only come from one of Chan’s songs. One particular set of lyrics in the last verse strikes you deep within your core:

There’s a part of me that wishes you had made me stay  
There’s a part of me that wishes I had never walked away  
Late at night I see your face and miss you every day  
But when I see the stars above I know everything’s okay.

As the guitar strings slow down and the song comes to a close you’re about to hit pause when you hear the whisper of Chan’s voice say “Happy Birthday Y/N” and the recording stops. It takes a few moments for you to stop crying and compose yourself. No one has ever gotten you a gift that was so personal, so heartfelt, and so thoughtful. You immediately open up the message app to type out quickly: 

You:  
Just came home from work to the sweetest card and gift! Thank you so much you, didn’t have to send me anything but you have no idea how much it means to me. It was so beautiful and I will be listening to it on repeat forever. I promise you the flash drive is safe with me. I will hide it away so no one else will ever find it. Maybe I’ll let Mia listen to it….maybe. Hope promotions wrapped up well and that you all have a happy holidays. P.S. I miss you too and if you have a concert here you bet your ass I’m getting front row tickets! 

You hit send and try your best to wipe away the tears. As you open up a box of takeout as you hear Mia stir awake from your bed. “Hey! How’s it going I didn’t hear you come in?” She pads over to you to pop open one of the bottles of wine and grab a plate of take out that you already prepared for her. “So are you excited for tomorrow? Just cause it’s a holiday doesn’t mean we still can’t make it the best birthday ever!” You just smile and nod as you take a sip of wine and follow her back over to the bed where you both cuddle up to watch a rom com movie and relax. You debate saying something to Mia right then and there about Chan’s present but decide against it, wanting to keep it a secret for a little while longer. You already know this year is the best birthday ever with truly the best present anyone could ever ask for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo you made it to the end! To be completely honest I have no experience writing song lyrics but I do enjoy making things rhyme! I also had a dear friend write a song for me once in college (no relation to the lyrics above but where this plot idea came from) and it made me cry so hard writing the last bit and thinking back to when I first listened to it. Now that I'm no longer working full time I am also considering playing around and trying to write a sequel or something out from Chan's point of view and include the other members? Thanks again!


End file.
